Mutasa – A bitter dispute has engulfed the Banhu family in Mutasa over the handling of the alleged avenging spirit of the late Father Matara, a Catholic priest murdered decades ago. The saga has taken a dramatic turn, with the family patriarch, Cosmas Banhu, who initially confessed to the crime, now seeking a protection order to halt the traditional appeasement process.
The simmering tensions boiled over outside Chief Mutasa’s community court last Saturday, as family members engaged in heated exchanges, trading accusations and counter-accusations.
Sylvester Munyaradzi Banhu, a family representative, addressed Chief Mutasa’s court, explaining the family’s predicament. According to Sylvester, the clan finds itself in a state of paralysis, unable to proceed with the appeasement rituals demanded by the late priest’s spirit due to the protection order sought by Cosmas Banhu, the suspected killer.
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However, in a stunning reversal, Cosmas retracted his confession after the initial court session and sought a protection order at the Mutasa Civil Court, throwing the entire appeasement process into disarray.
“We have 10 families in the Banhu clan. Each family contributed, and we now have the 15 cattle as demanded by the spirit. We are ready to take them to the Matara family in Marange, but Cosmas, who is the village head, and the same person, who confessed to the murder, approached Mutasa Civil Court, applying for a protection order, accusing us of harassing him, and forcibly taking his cattle for the appeasement ceremony,” Sylvester explained to the court.
Cosmas’s unexpected move has ignited suspicion and resentment among the Banhu family, who view it as a deliberate delaying tactic to evade his traditional obligations and prevent the restoration of peace within the dynasty.
“This was a counter move by Cosmas. He knows the case is before this court, but proceeded to approach the civil court to block the appeasement process,” Sylvester asserted. He further explained that the civil court had issued an order instructing clan members to refrain from harassing, assaulting, or coercing Cosmas into participating in any traditional ceremonies against his will. The order also prohibited them from taking him to any traditional healer or confiscating his property for the purpose of appeasing the alleged avenging spirit.
Sylvester expressed the family’s dismay, stating that despite the magistrate’s awareness of the pending case before the traditional court, the civil court ruled that the matter should be resolved there before any further court applications could be entertained.
However, the family’s hopes were dashed when Cosmas presented them with the protection order upon consulting him about the next steps in the appeasement process. “Now we are being told that we cannot proceed with the appeasement as we are not allowed to approach Cosmas or mention the issue of the cattle to him,” Sylvester lamented.
In his defence, Cosmas vehemently denied any involvement in Father Matara’s death, claiming that his initial confession in December was made under duress. “I only confessed because they had cornered me. They were assaulting me. They clapped me twice, and I had no option, but to give in, and say what they wanted to hear,” he told Chief Mutasa’s community court.
Cosmas further maintained that he was in Bulawayo at the time of the alleged murder, having only returned home for a brief holiday during which Father Matara was killed. He stated that he was questioned by the police at the time, along with his brother, and both were subsequently cleared of any involvement in the crime.
“My conscience is clear. My hands are clean. I did not kill anyone. If I had killed him, his avenging spirit would be haunting me directly, not my relatives,” Cosmas argued.
Sylvester, however, painted a picture of a family torn between the desire to appease the avenging spirit and the legal constraints imposed by the protection order. He told Chief Mutasa’s court that the current antagonism has placed the family in an impossible situation.
Chief Mutasa acknowledged the gravity of the situation and pledged to seek guidance from the magistrate to find a way forward. “We cannot allow the avenging spirit to continue haunting the family. I will talk to the magistrate and try to have the order lifted or cancelled so that this matter can be dealt with properly and finalised because we want the family to be at peace once again and not be tormented like what is happening,” he said.
This is not the first time that the Banhu family has been embroiled in conflict over the matter. Last year, Tongai Banhu brought the case before the Mutasa community court, citing strange occurrences at his homestead, including his children waking up outside and mysterious sightings, as signs of the late Father Matara’s avenging spirit.
Last year, the court proceedings heard testimony from Tongai, who detailed further consultations with Madzibaba Gutu, a local spiritual leader, who confirmed Cosmas’ alleged involvement in the murder. However, despite an initial admission at the Matara homestead, Cosmas later retracted his confession.
After considering both sides of the argument, Chief Mutasa adjourned the case, advising the Banhu family to seek further spiritual guidance from a neutral traditional healer to resolve the matter. Expressing concern about potential bias, Chief Mutasa cautioned against consulting Madzibaba Gutu, suggesting instead Sekuru Shungirai Mukotsanjera from Nyanga, a prominent sangoma who is has made a name for himself when it comes to solving issues pertaining to avenging spirits (ngozi).
Following this advice, the family consulted Sekuru Mukotsanjera. This consultation ultimately led to a breakthrough. The avenging spirit, manifesting through a woman, initially demanded 50 cattle as compensation, a figure later reduced to 30 through Sekuru Mukotsanjera’s intervention.
Tongai and others claimed to have consulted spiritual healers, including Madzibaba Gutu, who identified Cosmas as the person responsible for the priest’s death. According to the family, the priest’s spirit eventually accepted to be appeased with 15 beasts instead of 50 cattle that were initially demanded before being lowered to 30 and subsequently 15 – the final figure.
Despite the challenges, the family managed to gather the required cattle, only to be thwarted by Cosmas’s actions. “We have the beasts. We just want to take them to the Matara family and put this matter behind us. But how can we do that if the person who must lead the way and process has tied our hands through the protection order?” Sylvester asked.
The family also holds Cosmas responsible for signing a document during their earlier visit to the Matara family in Bocha, in which he allegedly admitted to the murder. They claim that Chief Marange cautioned them against signing the document without fully understanding its contents, but Cosmas disregarded the warning and signed it anyway.
